Dr. Una Ryan is the President of the Massachusetts Biotech Council and the CEO of Avant Immunotherapeutics, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines and immunotherapeutics for cardiac surgery, cholesterol management,  address packed room at Cambridge Marriott on April 18, 2006. Being an excellent speaker she very clearly presented the prospects of Biopharma industry.

The last 10 years have seen a massive transformation of the biotech and pharmaceuticals industry in Massachusetts. From the shores of Cambridge stretching out across the state, the landscape is now dotted with leading biopharma companies such as Abbott, AstraZeneca, Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer. Massachusetts is also now the home to 280 biotech companies. Biopharma has become a critical economic engine for the state, generating high paying jobs that have accounted for over 50% of the net job growth in the state in the past decade.

Ryan described the difficulties of running a Biotech company. “ It is difficult to run a company than to start,” said Ryan.  It takes 12-15 years and about 1 billion dollars to bring one drug to market. She emphasized on spending the money wisely, which  is difficult than raising the money.

Wearing the hat of the President of Mass Biotech Council she outlined the benefits of setting biopharma industry in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has about 300 biopharma companies employing more than 30,000 people.  It has 200 medical devices companies employing 21,000.  84 drugs and devices have been developed in Massachusetts and has  very well established supply chain.

Dr. Ryan has been Chief Executive Officer of AVANT since August 1996 and President, Chief Operating Officer and a director of AVANT since May 1996. Dr. Ryan joined AVANT as Vice President, Research and Chief Scientific Officer in May 1993. She is also Research Professor of Medicine at the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute of the Boston University School of Medicine. Prior to joining AVANT, Dr. Ryan was Director of Health Sciences at Monsanto Company from January 1990 to November 1992 and Research Professor of Surgery, Medicine and Cell Biology at Washington University School of Medicine from 1990 to 1993. Dr. Ryan is a member of the Governing Body of Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO) Emerging Companies Section and serves on the Board of BIO and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Dr. Ryan is a member of the Board of Associates at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and is currently a director of IQuum, Inc. In 2002, Dr. Ryan was awarded with the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) for her services to research, development and promotion of biotechnology by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second.

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